It looks increasingly likely that the final on Sunday will feature Petra Kvitova and Garbiñe Muguruza. Kvitova now faces Lucie Safarova in the semi-final, who she owns with a 9-0 comprehensive head-to-head, while Muguruza is the much more accomplished and polished player in the match-up against Ashleigh Barty.
The Quarter-Final day promised a lot but the first match of the day was the only match that really delivered to its fullest. Safarova came through a glorious, eye-catching match against Australian Daria Gavrilova, 6-7, 6-3, 7-6, in which the 2015 Roland Garros finalist saved three match points and took the victory. Some of the points left the crowd gasping but wanting more and more, particularly in the deciding set tiebreak, where both players were on their knees in exhaustion following one of many scintillating rallies.
Safarova had a lot to say about a meeting with good friend Kvitova afterwards: “Yeah, first of all, it’s amazing how she’s coming back, and after what happened, how quickly she was able to return to play competition. And she’s been playing great on grass, and obviously we’ve had a lot of matches against each other, and I’m still waiting for a victory.”
When taking with Kvitova it was obvious from the start that she holds a special place in her heart for Safarova also and that Saturday’s semi-final will be a match played with great feeling for one another, despite a lot being at stake for both – A Premier final. Kvitova said about Safarova: “I just went from the court and I went in the physio room and I saw her there. And I just started to laugh and she was like, what’s happening? And I said, you think we are not playing many times together, like even on the grass? She said, Yeah, last time here in Birmingham.”(referencing the fact they played here this time last season too)
Kvitova also said: “We know each other well from the Fed Cup. I mean she had a great run and momentum that year. She’s playing well on the grass. I just think that we know each other well, on the court as well”, after being asked why the head-to-head is so overwhelmingly dominant and in favour of Kvitova at this stage.
Muguruza won her Quarter-Final via a retirement from her opponent Coco Vandeweghe, but the Spaniard still took motivation from the fact that she’s won three matches in a row in her first tournament back on grass. She said as much in press: “Well, the more matches we play, the more you are ready. Everybody knows that. But honestly, it doesn’t mean that you are going to go far at Wimbledon.”
After being asked whether her game was in a good place, she responded with the most positivity she has displayed all week: “Yeah, I think so. I felt it today. I felt it yesterday. I just want to keep playing this way because it’s giving me good results.”
To conclude, the expectation that Muguruza has for herself seems to have lifted. At the beginning of the week it was neither here or there, but now you get the feeling that targets need to be met in her head and that she still feels that grass is a surface she can hit the jackpot and win another major at. She continued by saying: “Well, I feel that I’m doing something good because I’m winning and I’m keeping the draws alive. So I’m happy because I came here early to prepare, and I trained — you know, I put hours there. So I’m happy that it’s working what our team, what we thought was going to be good for the tournament.
And she finished with: “So, so far we are proud that it’s working.”
A showpiece Muguruza vs Kvitova final is not set in stone and a lot can change in tennis, but it looks on the cards and what a way to finish a turbulent week for the tournament organisers with a WTA final that can really deliver on all fronts.
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